Seminal early work by one of the real unheralded masters of R&B and soul. Adams, whose vocal style suggests Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye without actually sounding like either one of them, recorded these songs--primarily pleading soul ballads--in New Orleans between 1959 and 1963, and most of them are either written or produced by Dr. John, a.k.a. Mac Rebennack. They're very much of their time and place, which is to say if you've ever heard Ernie K. Doe ("Mother in Law") or Chris Kenner ("I Like It Like That"), you'll have an idea what they sound like; in fact, one of the best tracks here is a cover of Kenner's "Life Is a Struggle." In any event, even at this early stage Adams is a supremely confident artist, with a judiciously used falsetto that's guaranteed to raise the hairs on the back of your neck.